ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - Croatian police on Thursday morning broke an international chain of weapons and drugs smuggling, arresting the chain's chief organisers and seizing 71 kilograms of marijuana.
ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - Croatian police on Thursday morning broke an
international chain of weapons and drugs smuggling, arresting the
chain's chief organisers and seizing 71 kilograms of marijuana.
#L#
At about 04.00 am Zagreb police officers searched several flats and
garages where they found a certain amount of firearms such as rocket
launchers, hand grenades and automatic guns. During the operation,
the police discovered some 71 kg of marijuana in Drazen C's garage.
After the operation, two men, Tomica B. and Bruno Z., believed to be
the masterminds behind this criminal organisation which smuggled
arms and narcotics into western Europe, were arrested, said the
Zagreb Crime Police Department Superintendent Robert Kralj while
informing reporters about this morning's operation.
Besides them, Drazen C, was also apprehended, whereas another three
members of the chain, Kreso R., Zvonko L. and Marko I., are on the
run and a warrant for their arrest has been issued. The police
suppose they are outside Croatia. All of them hold Croatian
passports, but those who are at large have the place of residence in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The police cited a total of eight men suspected of being organised
in the chain which illegally sold drugs and arms, worth one and a
half million German marks, in the last two years in west Europe.
It is believed the largest part of the arsenal was obtained in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and some in Croatia. The arms, produced at
Yugoslav military plants, were mainly left untended in Croatia and
Bosnia after the wars in the early 1990s.
Kralj said some of the suspects had been engaged in the Croatian
Homeland Defence War as active servicemen of the Croatian army.
One of the suspects, Damir V. was arrested in Slovenia last July
while transporting weaponry from Croatia into Italy, said the
Interior Ministry's crime police department head, Damir Kukavica.
Kukavica told reporters that since the beginning of this operation,
Croatia had cooperated with Interpol in Slovenia, Italy, Austria
France, the Netherlands and Germany.
Asked by journalists whether Damir V. "snitched" on his companions
while he was detained in Slovenia, Kralj denied to answer.
Asked whether some state organs, such as the Customs Administration
or employees with the Defence Ministry, might be engaged in this
chain Kralj said there were no indications about anything like
that. Croatian police will continue to tackle this case and work
together with western European policemen on it, he said.
(hina) sb ms